Bachelor of Science Program
Program Code: BS-AS
Major Code: PYC

Psychology Department
Buckham Hall A238
(716) 878-6215
psychology.buffalostate.edu/

A specialized B.S. degree in psychology is offered in the following concentrations: biological psychology, clinical psychology, environmental psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, psychology of aging, and psychology of infancy. The B.S. program is designed for a very limited number of students who seek an intensive preparation in one of the above areas. Emphasis is placed upon intensive practicum work and independent study. Students have the opportunity to work closely with a faculty mentor.

B.S. Honors in Psychology

Departmental honors are for students who are performing exceptionally well in their courses. The honors designation is an adjunct to the B.S. degree with an added emphasis on independent work, and requires that students conduct a comprehensive original research project under the supervision of a faculty mentor. To be considered, students must have at least 24 credit hours in psychology from Buffalo State with a minimum GPA of 3.5, and a minimum GPA of 3.25 in all courses taken at Buffalo State. In addition to the required courses in the B.S. degree program, honors students must take PSY 496 and PSY 498. A 42-credit-hour sequence of psychology courses is required for a B.S. honors degree. PSY 496 and PSY 498 may be used, where applicable, as elective courses in these programs. Students should see their adviser no later than the junior year for more information about the honors option.

Admission Requirements

1. The student must be enrolled in the B.A. program and be in good academic standing at the college before they can apply to the B.S. program.
2. The student applying for the B.S. program must have received a minimum grade of B in the first course of the required sequence of B.S. courses for that concentration.
3. For guidance in the application process, the potential B.S. applicant must meet with the faculty coordinator for the specialized B.S. concentration in which the student is interested.
4. A psychology department faculty member must formally sponsor the student.
5. The student must be able to complete a minimum of one academic year of supervised work with their sponsor in the B.S. program prior to graduation.
6. Final acceptance into the B.S. program requires approval of the candidate by the psychology department.

Program Requirements

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Prerequisite: PSY 101 Grade of C and 3 additional hours of psychology.

Students will:

1. demonstrate an understanding of the major historical schools of thought and approaches in psychology.
2. demonstrate mastery of APA technical report writing.
3. be prepared for careers related to psychology or graduate studies.
4. be able to select and critically evaluate existing literature in a given topic area of psychology.
5. demonstrate the ability to generate a scientific hypothesis in a given area of psychology.
6. demonstrate the rudimentary skills to design and implement research to test scientific hypotheses.
7. be able to apply appropriate statistical techniques for a given research design.
8. demonstrate the ability to apply valid conclusions based on topic area, hypothesis, review of literature, and study outcomes.